Staples to table
ITV This Morning’s chef Phil Vickery’s latest cookbook, The Canny Cook, celebrates store cupboard and frozen food. Pictures by Kate Whitaker.
Sweet potato, cauliflower and peanut curry
“The depth of flavour comes from using a stock cube and peanut butter as the base,” says TV chef Phil Vickery.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
• 4tbsp any oil
• 250g frozen chopped onions
• 1tbsp dried garlic granules
• ½tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2tbp frozen chopped ginger
• 400g can coconut milk
• 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
• 10g vegetable stock cube, crumbled
• 500g frozen cubed sweet potato
• 500g frozen cauliflower florets
• 1-2tbp cornflour
• 300g (about 6×50g balls) frozen spinach
• 1-2tsp sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2×250g packets microwaveable basmati rice,
warmed, to serve
METHOD
Heat the oil in a pan over a high heat and then add the onions, garlic granules, chilli flakes and ginger. Cook for six to eight minutes to drive off the moisture and colour a little.
Add the coconut milk, half-fill the can with water, then add to the pan along with the peanut butter and stock cube and whisk. Bring to a simmer, then cook for five minutes.
Add the frozen sweet potato and cauliflower and bring back to a simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix the cornflour well with two tablespoons of cold water and then add to the simmering curry: it will thicken pretty much straight away.
Check the seasoning and adjust if needed, then drop in the frozen spinach pucks. Cover and simmer for five minutes, then stir in the sugar, turn off the heat and leave for 15 minutes.
Stir well and serve with the basmati rice.
Spam fritters and spring onion mash
“I had to include my version of this iconic school food staple,” says Vickery. “They’re real Marmite things: you either love them or hate them. I hope this recipe brings back a few memories.”
SERVES 4
Ingredients
• 500g frozen mashed potatoes
• 200ml milk
• 50g salted butter
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 340g can Spam, chilled
• 300ml sparkling water • 200g self-raising flour
• 2-3 tablespoons cornflour
METHOD
Reheat the mash in a microwave-safe bowl according to the packet instructions and mix well.
Add the milk and butter, and then microwave for a few seconds to melt the butter. Mix well and taste for seasoning. Stir in the spring onions and set aside.
Heat the oil in a deep pan or wok to 180C. Cut the Spam into four equal slices.
Place the flour in a bowl, add the sparkling water and then mix into a soft batter. Dust each slice of Spam with a little cornflour, then dip into the batter.
Carefully slide into the hot oil and cook for four to five minutes until browned and crispy.
Drain well on kitchen paper. Serve with the spring onion mash.
Squidgy Creme Egg brownie
“All the ingredients except the fresh orange zest are from the store cupboard,” says Vickery.
Ingredients
• 2tbsp golden syrup
• 110g salted butter, softened
• 150g caster sugar
• 150g bitter chocolate
• 75g plain flour, sifted
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
• 4 Creme Eggs, halved
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve (optional)
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Line a 20 centimetre square baking tray with greaseproof paper, or oil well.
Melt the golden syrup, butter, sugar and chocolate together in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Remove the bowl from the pan, then stir in the flour, eggs and orange zest. Mix well but do not overmix.
Pour into the prepared tray, then carefully place the eight Creme Egg halves into the top of the mix, pressing down slightly. Pop into the oven and cook for 3540 minutes.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if you like.
■ The Canny Cook by Phil Vickery is published by Kyle Books, £16.99. Photography by Kate Whitaker.
Green is the colour that keeps on giving. All taste-makers agree that it is going to be the big colour for 2022.
However, it has a way of transcending trends, probably because it’s the colour that best represents nature, something that will forever inspire interiors.
But, like any colour, there is no one green and different shades can provide very different feelings in a home. Here are my tips for finding the right green for you.
■ If you seek an energising, uplifting colour, then consider a citrus green. These tones are best used in accents, where they provide a zesty punch and are perfect for spaces where your mood may often need a boost, like a home office
■ Sage greens are calming and soothing and are often considered a part of those “new neutral” colours, meaning they can be used throughout most of the home, forming a considered palette.
■ If it is cosiness that you desire, then earthy greens, like forest or deep khaki, have a way of feeling all encompassing in a space and are best when wrapped around all walls and the ceiling.
■ Emerald greens have a voluminosity that makes them chic and they pair beautifully with rich metals, like gold.
■ A pure, botanical green is both uplifting and grounding. It makes a bold choice for a wall colour but you can soften it and make it more natural, by including it in a leafy wallpaper pattern.
■ Wil Law is a home design stylist at John Lewis, Leeds. Find him on Instagram @johnlewis_wil.